Former Pacific Grove mayor Robert Quinn dies at 83

When Robert A. Quinn made a difference in the world — which was often — he generally did it without a lot of fanfare his family and friends said.

Once a month, he would quietly visit Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, where he would undergo a three- to four-hour procedure to extract white blood cells to help extend the life of a boy afflicted with leukemia.

He gave up a basketball scholarship to Villanova University so he could join the Marine Corps and serve in Korea.

As head of the real estate loan department for Monterey Savings, Mr. Quinn helped locals obtain their first loan — often with little more than a handshake.

And as a councilman and mayor of the Pacific Grove, he played a significant role in a multitude of advancements, including the city's decision to end its "dry" period and allow liquor sales, construction of a new city hall and police station, creation of the coastal recreation trail, and development of a regional sewage treatment plant.

He was a good man, his family and friends say, and a good public servant.

Mr. Quinn, whose friends called him "Bob," died Sunday at Westland Hospice House in Monterey, 16 days after his 83rd birthday, after a long battle with colon cancer.

"He was a good family friend for almost 50 years and I thought he was a very good mayor," said Gary Bales, whom Mr. Quinn appointed to serve as Pacific Grove's city manager in 1969 — the start of Bales' 25-year stint at that post. "I always admired his ability to run a meeting. He had a very quick way of clarifying what the issue was, what the options were and what he felt needed to be done about it. His ability to think on his feet was a great personal skill."

Mr. Quinn was born in Providence, R.I., in 1930, but his mother died in childbirth and he grew up in Philadelphia, where he was raised by an uncle and spent much of his childhood in orphanages.

"He received a couple of medals for his service in Korea, and probably should have gotten a Purple Heart, because he was injured over there, but he never talked about it," said his son, Shawn, a broker associate at Bratty and Bluhm Real Estate in Pacific Grove. "That's kind of how he was."

After his discharge from the Marines, Mr. Quinn and his wife, the former Norma Delgado, who married in 1953, came to Los Angeles, where he worked for Household Finance. In 1956, they accepted a transfer and moved to the Monterey Peninsula.

"My father became head of the real estate loan department for Monterey Savings in an era when they often made loans based upon whether they liked and trusted you and what they thought of your character," his son said. "I've had a lot of people over the years — restaurant owners, for example — come up to me and say, 'Your father got me started, got me my first loan, and I'll always be grateful for that.' "

Mr. Quinn first became involved in politics alongside another longtime city councilman, Jim Hughes, to fight a zoning change. He was elected to council in 1967, on his second try, served as mayor from 1971-78, and was appointed to the council again after his final term as mayor.

"I never would have become involved in politics if not for Bob Quinn," said Morrie Fisher, who served 25 years as a councilman and mayor in Pacific Grove.

Fisher said his colleague was "pretty straightforward" as a mayor, without hidden agendas.

"What you saw is what you got," he said. "He really did his homework, and I thought he was very even-handed with the council members. He never favored one over another. When I became mayor, I tried to emulate him in a lot of ways."

Fisher said his former colleague was a man with a dry sense of humor and was an exceptional public speaker.

"He could get up there and talk about the inner workings of a gumball machine, straight off the cuff, and make everybody laugh," Fisher said.

Mr. Quinn served as the first interim chair of the Monterey Coastal Commission, was director of the Monterey County Fair from 1985-97 and served as a grand jury chairman.

He remained active in city affairs even after his service at city hall, serving on a committee that raised more than $800,000 for an addition to the Pacific Grove Public Library.

Mr. Quinn is survived by his wife of 60 years, Norma, and two adult children: son Shawn of Corral de Tierra and daughter Susan Juarez of Stockton; sister Elizabeth Bane of Indianapolis; three grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.

A son, Kevin, was born in 1956 and died a year later. A brother, John, a former Philadelphia police officer, preceded him in death in 2012.

Funeral services will be June 23 at First United Methodist Church of Pacific Grove at a time to be announced. Arrangements are being handled by Paul Mortuary in Pacific Grove.

The city of Pacific Grove plans to fly its flag at half-staff for one week in honor of the former mayor.